Roberto Cavalli perfume logo sparks outrage among Sufi Muslims

Groups protests in Toronto and other cities over appropropriation of sacred symbols

Some Sufi Muslims are outraged and called for Italian designer Roberto Cavalli to remove the JustCavalli logo, which they say is a "degrading" use of a sacred religious symbol. (JustCavalli adverstisement/YouTube)

A group of Sufi Muslims are protesting in Toronto today against Italian designer Roberto Cavalli for what they say is appropriation of their religious symbol for a perfume advertisement.

The logo at the centre of the outcry is a stylized H turned on its side, which is shown on the wrist of model Georgia May Jagger in the advert for JustCavalli. The model says in a video that the logo is supposed to be a snake bite.

#TakeOffJustLogo, the group behind the multi-city protests, said the emblem belongs to MTO Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism. "It represents peace, purity and the name of God," their website reads

"The logo has been tattooed onto models to represent snake bites and draws connotational indication of the deadly sins. This is completely opposing the original definition of the sacred emblem."

The group goes on to call the use of the symbol both "offensive and degrading."

The protest began at 2 p.m. Saturday on Bloor Street West near high-end retailer Holt Renfrew, where as many as 200 students are expected to attend.

The high-end department store, however, does not carry that Cavalli product.

But this isn’t the first time Cavalli has faced a backlash for the use of religious symbols.

In 2004, Hindu communities called for bikinis featuring the likeness of Hindu gods Vishnu, Lord Rama and Devi Swaraswati to be taken off the shelf.